888Live poker news - Andrea Locco is Day 1b Chip-leader

Team888 ambassadors, Chris Moorman, Natalie Hof, Dominik Nitsche, Kara Scott and Sofia Lovgren, joined the action determined to make it to Day 2 and bag that magnificent 888Live trophy.

When all was said and done, 155 entries each contributed €888 to a pot that has been guaranteed at €300,000 with one more Day 1 to go. Added to Day 1a totals, we have already created a total of 227 entries and look set to smash the guarantee.

The day started out slowly as players were allowed one re-entry per flight, and late registration will be held open until the start of Day 2. But, by the final bell, 41 runners sprinted to the finish line - making it to Day 2. Team888 started out strong making up 5 of the top 9 chip stacks- However, the “rungood” was not destined to last forever.

As Level 6 broke, Kara Scott fell prey to bottom pair and was out of the running. The rest of the team carried on although there was a re-buy here and there along the way. In particular, Dominik Nitsche found himself all-in with Aces on a paired, flush-draw board: 5h-8h-8c- His opponent held Ah10h and called Dominik’s all-in bet. The turn was a dagger Kh, and the 7c on the river couldn’t save Nitsche. He was left short-stacked but managed to double up before busting out a couple of hands later. It was re-buy time!

On the other hand, far away from the featured table, German Team888 Ambassador, Natalie Hof was quietly building a stack for herself- At one point, she led the field of 155 entries. Meanwhile, things heated up on the featured table when 888 Poker Ambassador Sofia Lovgren found herself sitting opposite fellow pro and friend Oahn Bui. In short order, Bui found herself in a three-way pot with deuces. The flop was As-Jh-8s. Bui bet her deuces, dropping one caller, and getting another player to come along for the ride. Unfortunately for Oahn, that caller had an ace [Ah-5c] - albeit a weak one. The turn was a Kc, and Oahn continued betting, this time about half-pot. The river was Qh, and Oahn bet just under half-pot. Her opponent, Almedin Imsirovic folded to the aggression and Bui dragged a nice-sized pile of chips.

As the night progressed and the blinds climbed, a few other 888 ambassadors fell by the wayside.

Sofia Lovgren lost her bounty during Level 9. Teammate Chris Moorman made it to Level 11 before losing his second entry. Aside from the 888poker pros, other big names had put in an appearance on Day 1b- Scotsman Niall Farrell survived into Day 2, sitting pretty with 141,200 in chips. William Kassouf managed to battle his way to Level 9, but busted shortly into it - vowing to “be back tomorrow”.

And, with a third Day 1 to look forward to, it’s more than likely several Day 1b runners will be back.

Key Stacks from Day 1b

Position/Name/Chip stack

• 1. Andrea Iocco / 266,200
• 2. Peter Heinrich März / 251,900
• 3. Renee Xie / 224,000
• 4. Miroslav Forman / 216,800
• 5. Pavel Berka / 202,500
• 11. Niall Farrell / 141,200
• 16. Jonas Kraft / 111,400
• 17. Natalie Hof / 111,000
• 37. Dominik Nitsche / 54,500